Thy will be done in my life

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

The will of God is the desire of a father who loves his children beyond their human comprehension. God is love (I John 4:8), and what God wants for his children always flows out of his love and good will toward them.

How many times do we pray for good things in our lives -- fulfilling, uplifting relationships, good health and abundance -- and then wonder whether our prayers are really God's will? How can we have faith to expect our prayers to be answered if we don't know God's will?

Yet Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Do you expect to be a beggar in heaven? I doubt it, because heaven is a place of prosperity. God paves his streets with gold.

Do you think you'll battle muscular dystrophy, diabetes, cerebral palsy, cancer, chickenpox, tooth decay, hemophilia and myopia after you get your glorified body? I don't think so, because heaven is where God reigns. He doesn't allow disease, disability and death in his domain. God's will is for his loved ones in heaven to be healthy, and we pray that his will prevails in earth, too, as we pray the Lord's Prayer.

My father, who loves and cares for me, does not want me sick and suffering so I can't do his work in earth. Even good business managers don't want their employees sick so they can't perform their work. Certainly a loving father wants his children to be able to carry on the family business of telling everyone about Jesus, serving God, and serving man. We're much more cherished than employees; Jesus said that we're his family (Matthew 12:50).

In 2 Corinthians 13:11, Paul admonishes us to "Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." Paul calls God, "the God of love and peace."

God never calls himself the god of poverty or lack; He calls himself Jehovah Jireh, "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:8). He never calls himself the god of sickness and disease. Rather, he says he is Jehovah Rapha, "I Am the Lord that Heals You" (Exodus 15:26).

Jesus healed everyone who came to him asking to be healed, and he said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) What did large crowds see Jesus doing? Healing all who were sick, feeding the hungry and loving everyone!

So the next time you pray, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," expect good things. Pray knowing that God wants good in your life.

Jeremiah 2:11 (amplified Bible) declares, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

So pray the Lord's Prayer, expecting God's wonderful will in your life!

June Seabaugh is a member of Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape.